Keep out! – Papua New Guinea

Since it re-opened in August 2012 no journalist has seen the inside of the detention centre on Manus Island. This shocking report reveals the lengths Australia will undertake to keep it and its inmates secret.

“The block is coming from Papua New Guinea. They grant or deny access. They are a sovereign nation you know.” This is the official line coming out of Australia when it comes to the obsessive secrecy that shrouds the detention centre on Manus Island. The PNG Prime Minister on the other hand says, “There is no restriction on our part”. Yet despite both these assertions footage is destroyed, cars tracked and contacts bullied, all in an attempt to prevent access. But who’s doing this and why? The plot thickens when PNG grants access to the centre, only for it to be overturned, with officials stating it was denied by Australia’s department of immigration. Guards working at the camp suggest why Australia may be so keen to keep the centre under wraps: “they’re not prisoners but the Australian guards treat the clients inside not like humans”. As the centre continues to remain totally closed off, the fear of what may be happening inside remains.